FOREST, Va. – Entering year two of the Dakota Rock '15 era, the Guilford College women's soccer team is reloaded and reinvigorated, targeting a return to postseason competition getting projected to sneak in with a rank of eighth in the 2026 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll as announced by the conference offices on Wednesday.

"We are excited for what this year holds! We have a lot of returning talent many of which had breakout seasons last fall and it is exciting to have these players back ready to go for the new season," Women's Soccer Head Coach, Dakota Rock '15 said. "I am really excited about the class of 2026, which is emerging with some highly-talented players looking to immediately contribute in their roles! The preseason has already shown that this program has taken steps forward from 2025, and ready to return to the Quaker women's soccer legacy and standard as we aim to return to the ODAC tournament!"

The Quakers return a battle-tested group of field players, particularly on their backline as they return one of the better center back tandems in the league in Kylee Berry (Kernersville, N.C.) and Kylie Muse (Browns Summit, N.C.). Playing side-by-side in 49 matches across the previous three seasons, they have been major members of some of the strongest defensive groups in program history and contributed to 30 shutouts throughout their time in the Gate City, including seven last fall. Berry has proven particularly invaluable as the back-to-back All-ODAC honoree saw an increased offensive responsibility last year and thrived, netting five goals and three assists to tally 13 points, more than her first-two seasons combined. An occasionally over-shadowed member of the Guilford defense, Keeli Crisco (Albemarle, N.C.) expects to move up and into the middle of the formation for GC and returns for her final year of eligibility after putting together a great season defensively a year ago. That trio stand as the headliners in front of the keeper tandem of Lorelai Lis (Bradenton, Fla.) and Madison Motto (Waxhaw, N.C.) that precisely split time in net last year, each showing great promise. The team saw more success with Lis in frame as she finished 5-2-2 while Motto owned the superior save rate, of .852, and goals against average, at 1.00, and they will continue to battle for the starting role throughout the preseason.

For the fourth consecutive year, Guilford does not benefit from the return of their leading scorer from the prior season, but that does not mean they lack firepower offensively. For starters, Ainsley Yates (West End, N.C.) was near-equally lethal as All-ODAC pick, Lily Brown '26 was, albeit in more of a facilitating role, assisting on eight goals while scoring four herself, including a trio that ended up being game-winners. Berry is excellent at initiating set pieces from all over the pitch and will likely continue to do so while Ashlyn Kahre (Fort Mill, S.C.) will also be a major contributor as a distributor after finishing with five assists last year, tied for the second-most on the team. That trio accounted for half of the Quakers 32 assists last year, although they only netted 11 themselves which may reflect their biggest flaw, who will put the ball in the back of the twine off their setups. One candidate is  Ashlyn Miller (Charlotte, N.C.) who had a quiet season scoring last year but was a top-four scorer for Guilford two years ago while her younger sister, Sarah Miller (Charlotte, N.C.) showed a nose for the net with four goals, the most by a freshman since 2022. Limited to 13 games, Ava Arias (Pittsboro, N.C.) popped on the scoresheet a couple of times with a brace against Carolina University and a one goal, one assist outing against Hollins University, showing her ability to be an impact scorer at times.

The Quakers will open 2026 with a run of contests away from Appenzeller Field, beginning at Meredith College on Friday, September 4 at 4:00 PM. Their home opener will be a rivalry clash with Greensboro College on Wednesday, September 16 at 6:00 PM. Finally, GC opens ODAC action on Wednesday, September 23 with a trip up to visit the reigning league champions, Washington & Lee University at 6:00 PM.
 

Rk.	School (First-Place Votes)	Pts.
1.	Washington & Lee University (12)	144 pts.
2.	Batten University (1)	126 pts.
3.	Bridgewater College	119 pts.
4.	University of Lynchburg	105 pts.
5.	Shenandoah University	103 pts.
6.	Roanoke College	91 pts.
7.	Randolph-Macon College	89 pts.
8.	Guilford College	63 pts.
9.	Randolph College	54 pts.
10.	Eastern Mennonite University	49 pts.
11.	Averett University	30 pts.
12.	Hollins University	25 pts.
13.	Sweet Briar College	16 pts.

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